The use of heat exchangers in the form of radiators to cool the engine and associated components of a vehicle has long been known. Typically, radiators are used to cool a coolant that has been heated by circulation through the engine. Additionally, the radiator may provide cooling or heating for other operating fluids, such as transmission oil and hydraulic fluid.
Commonly, radiators include a pair of tanks arranged on opposite sides of a tube and fin type heat exchanger core. It is also common for the tanks of such heat radiators to be made of plastic that has been formed in dies by injection molding. The cost of the dies is typically a significant factor in radiator design and for this reason there is a continuing desire to reduce the cost associated with such dies.
Additionally, there are at least two types of radiators that are desirable. In the first type of radiator, the coolant flows into an inlet provided in one of the tanks, makes a single pass through the radiator core, and then flows out of an outlet provided in the other tank. In the second type of radiator, a low temperature region is provided within the radiator by using a tank having a baffle which forces part of the coolant to make an additional pass through the radiator, thereby cooling that portion of the coolant to a lower temperature. The single pass type radiator is advantageous in some vehicle applications, while the low temperature region type radiator is advantageous in other vehicle applications.
Because conventional radiators require different tank designs for each type of radiator, it is difficult to reduce the cost associated with the tanks and their related dies when it is desired to provide both types of radiator Accordingly, there is a need for a heat exchanger, especially a radiator tank for a vehicle that can be selectively configured to provide either single pass operation or low temperature region operation.